Saliva ejector



n Sept. 20, 1938.

R. c. ANGELL 2,130,406

sALIv'A EJEGTOR Filed April 18, 19:55 v

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anw/nto@ Patented Sept. 20, 1938 oNirsD STATES anni@ PATENT OFHQE SALIVA EJECTOR Application April 18, 1935, Serial No. 16,966

2 Claims.

My invention relates particularly to that class of devices that are commonly termed saliva ejectors and that are employed in the practice of dentistry for the purpose of extracting from the 5 patients mouth, during the period of operation, any accumulation of saliva or other fluids that cannot Well be swallowed, and is especially directed to lthe formation of the saliva intake end, whereby the unimpeded flow of saliva is insured.

It has been found in practice that the chief difficulty with devices of this type is that the invtake orifice becomes clogged or dammed by a tendency of the soft or flaccid tissues to obstruct the passageway and thereby prevent the free exit of the saliva accumulated in the mouth of the patient, thus defeating the purpose of the device and rendering it inefficient.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a saliva ejector having its intake end so formed as to maintain the mouth tissues distended whereby they are prevented from damming or otherwise clogging the intake orifice of said saliva ejector.

Other objects of my invention are to provide a saliva ejector having fluid channels so disposed and extended beyond the soft or flabby tissues of the mouth as to insure freedom of flow of saliva to the exhaust or outlet conveyer tube whereby the formation of vacuum by clogging the inlet oriflce is prevented.

Further objects of my invention are to provide a saliva ejector constructed with a View to avoiding sharp angular corners, to affording comfort for the patient, to facilitating cleansing and sterilization, and to providing maximum eillciency of operation.

My invention comprehends a saliva ejector in which its intake end is provided with a tissue dis tending body having saliva conducting channels extending beyond the softer mouth tissues and thereby insuring freedom of flow of fluids from the mouth.

Specifically stated, the form of my invention as hereinafter described comprises a saliva ejector having a saliva conveyer tube forming a gooseneck and terminating in a globate body emracing the inlet orifice and having radially disposed peripheral slots or grooves communicating with said intake orifice and extending parallel with the axis thereof7 and intersecting at said ax1s.

My invention also includes all of the various novel features of construction and arrangement as hereinafter more definitely specified.

1n the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a saliva ejector constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the saliva ejector shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of a fragment of the forward or free end of said saliva ejector as viewed along the axis of the inlet oriilce and looking toward said end; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line Ll-Ll in Fig. 3.

The saliva ejector illustrated in said figures 10 is adapted to be connected with any suitable and well known suction means by a flexible fluid conveyer in a manner well known to those skilled in the art.

. In said figures, the saliva ejector comprises a 15 tube I, having a ferrule 2 at its lower end for the convenient attachment of a flexible fluid conveyer not shown, and provided with a circumferential groove 3 forming the bead 5 adjacent tov said end and facilitating the retention of said 20 flexible conveyer with said tube.

The tube I has its upper portion curved or bent to form a hook 5, commonly termed a gooseneck, and serving as a convenient means to support the saliva ejecting structure on the lower lip or jaw 2f of the patient, with its free end l directed in a downwardly inclined direction into the saliva containing channel formed between the tissues of the lower dental arch and the opposed lip or cheek tissues. 30

The free end l terminates in a spheroidal or globate tissue distending head t having relatively transverse slots il) and i2 extending across the inlet orifice i3 of the tube i and preferably intersecting at the axis thereof but extended 35 along the wall of the tube end 9 back of said orifice i 3, and terminating in the circular channel I4 formed at the intersection of the cylindrical surface of the tube l and the convex surfaces of the head. 40

As best shown in Fig. 4, the bore i5 of the spheroidal head 9 extends well beyond the orice i3 and terminates in close proximity to the substantially spherical outer surface of said head 9, thereby affording a recess l5 in which saliva 45 entering through the radial channels formed by the vtransverse slots I@ and l2 may be .collected before entering the oriflce i3.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the relatively transverse slots Il) and l2 divide the spheroidal head 9 50 into four spheroidal sectors Il, i8, 59 2), the spheroidal cheek surfaces of which are arranged to bear against the mouth tissues and maintain them so distended as to leave the channels formed. by the slots |53 and l2 free to convey 55 CTI the saliva from the mouth to the inlet oriice I3.

It may be here noted that as illustrated the slots I and I2 are each disposed at an angle of forty-rive degrees (45) to the plane of the gooseneck or hook 6, so that, when the saliva ejecting device is operative in its conventional position, with the plane of the gooseneck disposed radial to the aXis of the dental arch, the cheeks of the spheroidal sectors I8 and 2U will tend to bear against the opposed normally approaching gingival and labial tissues. v

If, however, the head 9 is placed further back in the mouth, the plane of the gooseneck will tend to assume a position transverse to a radius of the axis of the dental arch and in that event the cheeks of the spheroidal sectors I7 and I9 will tend to bear against the normally approaching gingival and buccal tissues, and thereby maintain said tissues so distended as to tend to prevent clogging or damming of the orifice I3.

Under any circumstances, the denite relation of the slots I and I2 to the plane of the gooseneck 6 affords a convenient means whereby the operator may determine the position of the ejector to most efcaciously drain the mouth of excess iluids.

My invention is advantageous in that the globate terminal not only distends the mouth tissues but provides a plurality of saliva conveying channels that intersect a saliva receiving recess adjacent to the inlet orifice and extend along the tube back of said inlet orifice, and connect with a circular saliva conveying channel. 'I'his structure has a decided advantage for the reason that when the ejector is pressed into contact with the tissues of the mouth between the cheeks and the gums by the weight of the ejector and its attached tubing, the grooves extending up to the junction of the tube cannot be closed by any movement of the patients lips or cheeks. As a consequence, there is an unrestricted influx of air which prevents the formation of a vacuum of a sufficient amount to draw the tissues into tight engagement with the opening through which air is being drawn and which would prevent any removal of saliva so long as the openings are closed. The openings adjacent to the tube are those which are provided to prevent the formation of this undesired vacuum.

Although I have shown and described two relatively transverse slots, extended at a definitely prescribed angle to the plane of the gooseneck, more or less saliva ejecting channels may be employed and otherwise disposed if desired, and therefore I do not desire to limit my invention to the precise details of construction and arrangement as herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential features of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A. saliva ejector comprising a suction tube in the form of a gooseneck having an inlet orice and terminating in a globate tissue distending head embracing said orifice and having a plural- Vity of saliva conveying slots intersecting at the axis of said orice and extending throughout said head along said tube back of the plane of said orifice, and airording open grooves for facilitating the free and direct rlow of saliva to said orice.

2. A saliva ejector comprising a suction tube in the form of a gooseneck, having an inlet/orifice and terminating in an enlarged tissue dist-ending head having a plurality of saliva conveying slots and connecting peripheral grooves disposed in relatively oblique angular planes with respect to the plane of said gooseneck.

ROBERT C. ANGELL. 

